Acetylene-gas generator.



No. 699,!06. Patented Apr. 29, I902.

I 0. FALKENWALDE.

(No Model.)

' WITNESSES INVENTOH j a 'hzkmwaaze M FL/U I By Arron/v5);

THE NORRIS PFTERS co. Pnofouma. WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OSCAR FALKENWALDE, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR ONE- HALF TO CHARLES F. STAUFFEN, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

ACETYLENE-GAS GENERATOR.

SPECIFICATION formingpart Of Letters Patent N0. 699,].O6, datecl'ApriI 29, 1902.

Application filed October 23, 1901. Serial No. 791593; (No model.) 7 7 '1 ering of the lights before, during, and after feeding is avoided andthe enerated: gas

maintained at uniform pressure at all times.

The objects of my invention are to provide a special combination of stationary tank formed of an outer and an inner shell, means for feeding the water therein and -for carrying the gas therefrom, and ,avertically-movable bell or gas-collector having fixedly. connected therewith a carbid-magazine, an automat-- ically-operatingcut-ioff for regulatin g the car bid-droppings, and adjusting means for'regue lating the action of thecut-oif, said bell, with its attached parts, having such cooperative connection with the stationary tank whereby the rise and fall of the bell or holderoperates to automaticallycontrol:thefeed of. the carbid; and in its moresubordinate features my invention consists in certain details .of construction, all of "which will; hereinafter be fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended 'claim,'ref erence being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal; section of the same, illustrating thebell orz-gas-holder: at its lowered ,posi tion,jwith .the. carbid-feed carbid into the water body. Fig. 2 is a similar view, the bellj-or-h0lder being elevated and the cut-off shifted to close off the carbidfeed. 4

In the practicalzconstr uction my gas-generating apparatus comprises a suitable base 1, made up ofsheetmetahpreferably steel sheets, andsaid base has a .flared'or otherv ornamental shape and includes a top plate 1, which forms the bottom of the generating-compart-' ment of the apparatus. 2 design ates an outer tank or shell, its low-er end having a watertight connection with the base 1, its upper end being open and projected above the open upper end of an inner shell 3, -which is also made fast to the base 1, and said inner shell is of sufficiently less diameter than the outer shell or tank 2 to provide an intervening annular space 4 to receive the pendent portion 5 of the bell or gas-holder 5, and'to prevent escape or leakage of gas generated or held within the bell or holder space 4 during operation of generation is filled with water, as clearly shown in Fig; 1, which can be drawn off at willthrough drawing-01f cock 6. Thegenerating-chamber (indicated by 00) is formed by the inner shell 3, the bell or holder, and the water-seal connection for said bell, and water is fed into said chamber through a filling-tube 7, that projects upward outside of the tank or chamber w to a point above the normal water-line and connects with a laterally-extending*member 7? at a point below the bottom of thecha'mber-m, which opens up through the bottom l and which acts as the outlet-tube for drawing off the water and residuum' from the chamber at.

To resupply the tank or chamber m with water, the outlet-plug 7? in the outer end of the pipe-section 7 is removed to allow the refuse in tank to run out, after-which the .plug 7 'is'returned and water poured into the pipe 7, which can be conveniently done with a garden-hose or funnel. the filling-tube and outlet-pipe as described the tank can be conveniently washed out and all refuse removed by keeping plug 7 out of pipe 7 as wateris forced into the pipe 7 underpressure, which can be accomplished by I "attaching the 'filling-hose to an ordinary regulator opento permit the dropping of the house-supply spigot.

8 designates the gas-ofitake pipe, that extends up into the chamber cc into the collectin g part thereof and passes down through the bottom 1 and out through the base and has a drain-plug 8 in its lower portion, as shown.

8 designates the service or 1 distributing pipe, that connects with'pipe 8, eXtends up adjacent the tank 2 above said tank, and connects with the house-supply pipe 8, in which is located a valve 9 and nipple 9 the latter .being disposed between the valve 9 and pipe By arranging 8" for reducing the flow of gas in either direction into a condensed jet, and thereby assist in producing a vacuum when the gas is drawn back, as will hereinafter appear. The upper end of pipe 8" terminates in what I term a blow-off pipe 8 in which is located a valve 10, normally held closed by the gravity-lever 11, having a screen or wing-like member 11 extended inward and centrally over the generator, thereason for which will also be presently explained.

Projected upward from the outer tank 2 are a number of standards 12, in the upper ends of which are rollers 12, over which pass the cords or cables 13 13, carrying weights 13 13 at one end, their other end being made fast to the bell or holder 5, the construction of which with its attached carbid-feed magazine, the automatically-operating cut-off, and the cut-olf-adjusting devices forms an essential feature of my invention. The hell 5 is counterbalanced and suspended by the cables 13 13, so it will easily rise and fall by the varying quantities of gas under it.

Fixedly connected to the hell 5 and centrally thereof is a carbid-holding magazine or tube 14, which extends down into the chamher :0, said tube being of such length that when the bell is at its lowermost point and the carbid-feed cut off the discharge end of said tube will be in a plane above the normal water-line and refilling-tube 7. The upper end of the tube 14 extends above the bell and terminates in a flared or magazine end 14:, having a feed-opening 14 normally closed by a screw-plug 15.

Upon the lower end of the tube 14 is suspended an automatically-operating cut-off mechanism, which consists of a lid 16, hinged to close over the discharge end of the tube 14 and connected with the end 17 of a weighted lever 17, fulcrumed at 17 to a bracket held pendent from the lower end of tube 14 and carrying at its outer end an air-ball 18. The outer or free end of lid 16 connects with a chain or rod 19, that extends up and joins with the end 20 of a lever-arm 20, fulcrumed on a bracket 21 on the under side of the belltop, its end 2O having engagement with an adjusting-screw shank 22, that extends up through the bell-top and carries a hand or turn wheel 23, by proper manipulation of which the drop of the lid 16 can be regulated to suit the character or amount of carbid to be dropped from the holder 14, it being understood the lower the lid is permitted to drop the greater will be the supply of carbiddroppings into the water in the bottom of the generating-chamber at.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings, it is thought the general operation and advantages of my invention will be readily understood.

It will be noticed the carbid-feed is automatically accomplished by reason of the peculiar correlative arrangement of the hell with the cut-off devices. Assuming the parts to be in the position shown in Fig. 1, gas as it generates fills the chamber x, and as it accumulates it gradually lifts the hell or holder, and in doing so the cut-01f devices rise with it. As soon as the air-ball is above the water it acts as a weight and causes the lid 16 to close over the discharge end of tube 14 to hermetically close the carbid-feeder until the gas accumulated in the bell is consumed, when the bell or holder will gravitate to its lowermost position, and in doing so the airball as it strikes the water will again cause the lid 16 to drop and permit the carbid to again drop from the holder, the adjustment devices at the top of the holder serving to regulate the amount of drop of the lid 16 and consequent quantity of carbid to be fed. Thus in my construction of generating apparatus the amount of carbid to be fed can be controlled so as to produce a certain quantity of gas and no more, according to the number of lights it is desired to supply, and by proper adjustment of the regulating devices the generator can be cut off entirely, if desired. By arranging the carbid-holder as shown the generator can be recharged at any time without trouble and without loss of gas or carbid and refuse can be drawn out of the bottom of tanks and a fresh water-supply turned in without loss of gas.

By providing a blow-ofif pipe in the offtake having a lever-equipped gravity-held valve and arranging the lever member over the top of the generator and in the path of the upward movement of the bell 5 it follows that said lever or valve extension can be adjusted relatively to the bell so that when the bell rises above a predetermined height by an excess accumulation of gas within the holder or bell said bell as it rises above the predetermined point will engage the screen end of the lever 11 and turn the valve in the blowoif to an open position to permit enough of the gas to blow oif to bring the pressure to be maintained in the holder to its normal condition. It will thus be seen that in case the consumption is approximately equal to the generation the pressure will be maintained at a substantially uniform degree; but should the consumption be less than that generated the excess pressure would automatically through the extra lift of bell 5 cause the blowoff to open to cut down the excess pressure and restore the pressure to normal.

The blow-0E devices per se are not a positive element of my generating means, as generation is effected without the same. I prefer, however, to use the same as a cooperative part of my complete apparatus, as it in many instances tends to fill the requirement of fire-insurance companies to guard against excess accumulations and explosions.

By placing the blow-off devices in the gas-- oiftake or house-service pipe said devices, in connection with the valve 9, that controls the house-pipe, also serve another and desirable function, explained as follows: In case of an emergencysuch as accident, leakage of the house-pipes, or fire in the housebyl instantly closing the carbid-cut-off regulator to stop further generation and opening the blow-01f slightly and at same time turn the valve 9 to almost entirely close off housepipe, gas escaping through the blow-01f will scends and the cover 16 is opened to drop the carbidthe hell 5 by reason i of the quick' generation of gas is almost instantly caused to rise swiftly, and as it does the regulator or cut-off devices will immediately cut off 7 the carbid-supply until the last charge has 1 been consumed and the bell 5 drops again, the regulator, operating to hermetically seal the magazine at each lift of the bell above the predetermined point.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a gas-generating means of the character described, the combination with the waterholdingtank, the bell or collector movable therein, a water seal for said bell, a carbid-' feeding magazine carried by the bell, a carbid cut-off controlled by the rise andfall of the bell, and an adjusting means for said outoff, including a screw-shank, mounted on the bell-top, having an operating-handle outside the bell-top, a lever Within said-be1l, connected with the screw,- shank, and a flexible connection joining saidlever and the cut-off idevices,.substantially as shown and for the purposes described.

OSCAR FALKENWALDE.

Witnesses:

CHARLES F. STAUFFEN, JAMES WATSON. 

